The present invention relates generally to redeployable dish reflectors and, more particularly, to low cost furlable rib parabolic dish reflectors for use with radio frequency antenna assemblies. Redeployable reflectors of the kind described herein are advantageously used in conjunction with mobile and portable ground station communication applications.
Reflectors for use in conjunction with radio frequency antenna assemblies for ground station communication applications are well know in the art. In accordance with typical prior art designs, such reflectors consist of a parabolic dish-shaped reflector surface that is stretched across and attached to a plurality of ribs which are individually pivotally connected to and radially extended from a central support hub.
Heretofore, however, most known prior art reflectors are prohibitively expensive to fabricate and maintain in good repair when adapted for use in mobile or portable ground station communication applications. For such applications, it is desirable that the reflector be deployable and stowable for transport to a different site where it can then be conveniently redeployed. It is further desirable that the reflector be manually stowable and redeployable in a rapid manner by only a single person.
Further still, it is desirable that the redeployable reflector be constructed from commercially available components in a very simple and low cost manner thereby avoiding the need for expensive specially fabricated and high precision parts of the prior art, such as, for example, precision spherical bearings and pivot assemblies used for pivotally attaching the ribs to the central support hub.
It is further desirable that the overall design, installation and break down of the reflector be simple such that fabrication and adjustment can be carried out using only common hand tools and basic machine tools. It would be of further advantage where only low or minimally skilled labor is needed for deployment and redeployment of the reflector.
Finally, it is desirable that the design for the reflector permit construction of dish diameter sized for a particular application such that any greater of fewer number of supporting radial ribs can be added to or removed from the central hub in order to fine tune the accuracy of the reflector surface configuration for good performance within a particular range or band width of signal frequencies.